Housing control appeal case
In response to the front page story published in Monday 6 July Guernsey Press, Housing Minister, Deputy Dave Jones, commented as follows:
“I cannot comment on any of the circumstances of the case in question, as the decision of the Court to uphold the appeal effectively quashes the Department‘s original decision and asks us to take that decision afresh. Therefore, until that reconsideration has happened, there is a ‘live’ application and for me or any other board member to make any public comment on the case could be prejudicial to the decision yet to be taken.”
Concerning the weighty responsibility placed upon the Housing Department, Deputy Jones added:
“There is no doubt that making decisions that effectively decide whether someone can continue to live in Guernsey are very difficult for all parties concerned. The Department discharges this function to the best of its ability but, inevitably, given the volume of cases that we deal with, there will be occasions when the Courts will reach a different conclusion to the Department.”
With regard to wider issues, Deputy Jones went on to say:
“Clearly the Department needs time to absorb the Court’s findings, and to take steps to alter its procedures where, in the Court’s opinion, these procedures are lacking.
However, it is important to keep matters in perspective. History shows that of the thousands of cases decided by the Department each year, less than a handful proceed to appeal and of those that do, it is by no means a foregone conclusion that the Department’s decision will not be upheld.”
There was an inaccuracy in the Guernsey Press article. The Housing Needs Survey did not show that 81% of the Island’s homes are for couples with non-dependant children. What it did highlight was that, at the time the Survey was taken, 81% of those persons wishing to set up a home, so called ‘emerging households’, comprised single people or couples without dependant children.